Summer of Disasters and Discoveries
by Ari 347
Summary: All Harry wanted to do was kick back and relax with Sirius after the war before going off to Hogwarts for his Eighth year. But those plans are killed when Sirius's cousin is sent to stay with them for the summer. What will happen when you put the Boy Who Lived and Rikkai's tennis wizard together? Read and find out!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N **Hey people! So, this is my first fanfic here. I'm aiming for something light and humorous, and I hope to have frequent updates (talk to my professors about that, though). If you'd like to beta, feel free to PM me, I usually answer quickly. Anyways, please review! And also, please don't flame me if you don't like it. Constructive criticism, people!

**Disclaimer:** Sadly, I do not own any of these fascinating stories. Harry Potter is the property of JK Rowling and whoever else lays claim to it, while Prince of Tennis belongs to Takeshi Konami. All I've done is put everything together.

And now for the fanfic (drumroooooollllllll, please!)

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Harry looked up at his godfather in shock and disbelief. "Sirius, you're kidding."

"Ah, not really." Sirius gave his unamused godson a sheepish look. "Look, Harry, you know I wouldn't have kept it from you if I had known. I just found this out."

"I know, I know. But why do I have to deal with this now?" Knowing he sounded like a spoiled brat, Harry sighed. He'd survived a war, Voldemort, and Ron and Hermione's bickering, and this was his reward?

Okay, maybe he should start at the beginning. Although Sirius had fallen through the Veil back when Harry had been in fifth year, a spell from the Ministry had set him free. Turned out that Luna was right, the people in the Veil were just on the other side. Sirius had come back after the war with little damage and had immediately taken over Harry's life. Not that Harry was upset. He actually kind of enjoyed having a "parent" around, and Remus hadn't been the best substitute. He had Teddy, after all, and Tonks. So it was just Harry and Sirius (and Kreacher, if you want to be particular) in Grimmauld Place, with the usual visitors: Ron, Hermione, Remus, random Weasleys…

Since the previous year had been disrupted for all Hogwarts students, Professor McGonagall had decided to have the Seventh years repeat the year, making them "Eight years". She had chosen not to do the same to for the younger students due to the opinion of majority of the chairmen that they could catch up over the next year or so. Hermione had made Harry and Sirius crazy enough that Harry was going to be joining for that year.

What had sparked Harry's annoyance at his beloved godfather was in an innocent blue envelope on the table. It was a letter to Sirius about a cousin of his, one that "was half-decent, really". This cousin's family had moved to Japan years ago, just before the first Wizarding War, and now he wanted to send his son to Hogwarts. The cousin was a few years younger than Sirius and this child was his eldest. It seemed obvious (to the cousin, at least) that Sirius should take the boy in for the year, keep an eye out, just generally look out for him.

Now, had that been the end of it, Harry would have been okay. Not thrilled, but okay. But it wasn't. In order to "acclimate" the boy to England and other witches and wizards, the cousin wanted to send his son to Sirius for the summer. The entire summer. He figured that the boy was between semesters in school, so either he could transfer to Hogwarts if he liked the magical world, or he could just come back to Japan with no problems, schoolwise, at least. Sirius was ready to agree, since he wouldn't turn his back on one of the few relatives he liked. Well, tolerated would be the more accurate word. Heck, he was even starting to write to Narcissa Malfoy once in a while. A very long while, but he still wrote to her. Before he agreed, though, he wanted to get Harry's approval. The war had ended just a couple of weeks ago, and it was a raw time for everyone. Sirius wanted to make sure that Harry could handle it. Quite frankly, Harry wasn't sure what he could or couldn't handle, but he didn't want to upset his godfather. Still, it would take some getting used to.

"Fine. Go for it." Harry sank onto the couch and stared moodily at the plate of cookies Kreacher had placed on the table.

"Harry…"

"I'm fine with it. How old is he, anyway? Sixteen, Seventeen?"

Sirius sighed. "Ah, that's where you might get a little upset. Or happy, if you really are as big a fan of the Weasleys as you say you are."

Harry gave his godfather a confused look. "Huh?"

"He's fourteen. Just started his first year of high school in Japan. That's why his parents are willing to switch him," Sirius answered. "You can think of him as the brother Lily and James never gave you. Although I am surprised about that fact, considering-"

"I really don't need to know that, Sirius. Really." Harry sighed and slumped on the couch. "I'll deal with it. Nothing can be worse than killing Voldemort."

Famous last words.

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Hope you enjoyed! Please review, I'm completely new at this!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Here's the next chapter! I know that it's a little slow moving, but next chapter I will be putting Bunta Marui in. Stay tuned!

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"Where should I put this, Sirius?" Harry called, holding up a cardboard box that was spelled shut. "I can't get it open."

"Rubbish bin. If you don't know what's in it, we're not keeping it. It could be Dark magic or something." Sirius paused in his cleaning and looked around. "I think this is going pretty well, considering."

Harry rolled his eyes and went back to the pile of stuff beside him. He did enjoy living with Sirius, he really did, but his godfather drove him crazy sometimes.

After having a discussion (well, more like just Sirius promising god knows what to Harry in return for Harry treating this relative well. Not that Harry wouldn't, but he wasn't going to ignore free stuff from Sirius. Really, he sometimes felt like he should have chosen Slytherin.) the pair had gone upstairs to make one of the bedrooms habitable for the boy. Harry had a guest room he'd made his own, and Sirius still had his own room, but most of the other rooms were disgusting from being left alone over the years. This felt impossible.

Three hours later, Sirius groaned and threw down his rag. "This is the best it's going to be. Pizza?"

"That sounds good. Add some chips and I'm in." Harry looked around the now-clean (ah, maybe presentable was a better word for that) room. It was airy, with a wall of windows, similar to Harry's. A bed and wardrobe stood along the wall opposite the windows, with a low bookshelf running along the wall beside the bed. The window seat was bare for now (Harry's had a cushion on it, and some Quidditch gear), ready for its future inhabitant to take it over. It was, in all, a satisfying result.

In the Muggle pizza store, Harry asked Sirius about the boy's arrival. "When's he coming?"

"His father said that his flight leaves tomorrow morning, Japan time. It's a little less than a twelve hour flight, and he's leaving at seven thirty. So he'll be here about ten, ten-thirty tomorrow morning, our time. But since it'll be seven-ish Japan time, he'll be jetlagged." Sirius snagged the last chip before Harry could grab it, and Harry gave him a look. "I paid for it, mate. I'm renting a car to pick him up, I don't think he'll be up for my motorcycle just yet."

"Sirius, _I'm _not up for your motorcycle just yet. You think he would be?" Reaching for his drink, Harry continued, "Why isn't he coming by Portkey or Floo or something?"

"Because going far distances with that is hard to deal with." Hermione grinned at the stunned look on Harry's face. "Sirius suggested we all go out tonight, so…"

"'We all'?"

"The rest of us, mate." Ron and Ginny stepped out from behind Hermione. "He said that he felt bad, so we can go do whatever we want. What did he do?"

"Tell you later." Harry nodded to Sirius, who made a shooing motion at him. "Let's go, while Sirius isn't being Mr. Responsible Parent."

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Harry staggered into Grimmauld Place past midnight that night. "Hey Siri- Siri- dude," he slurred.

"We were in a bar, and the boys had more to drink than they should have. We girls are taking care of getting them home," Hermione explained. Sirius just nodded and took over supporting his godson. "Why did you agree to take that boy in? I know he's your relative, but…"

"I know. The war just ended, and Harry, well, all of you, really, could use a break this summer. But this…this is my relative. When I left home, I would have wanted someone to take me in, someone who knew what I was dealing with. Harry's grandparents were great, but they didn't know what my parents were like." Sirius sighed and looked at his godson, who was falling asleep. "And as much as I know that Harry would rather have me to himself, I think this will help him get over the deaths. I think it'll help both of them."

"Sirius, what do you mean?" Hermione's interest had been piqued, and there was no turning back now.

"I-" Harry made a sound, and Sirius turned to him. "Look, I'll tell you some other time. Right now, I'd like to get this one to sleep, and I'm sure you're tired, too."

"I am. Good night." Hermione left the house, and Sirius was left to put his godson to sleep.

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Hope you enjoyed! If you did, show the love and review! The button is right there!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Hiya! So here's another chapter for y'all. I finally brought Bunta in. Sorry these chapters are so short, but I'm working on making them longer. If you like it, review it!

For all of my lovely followers: Thank you!

So, enjoy the chapter!

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Harry sat up and pressed his fingers to his temples. He _knew_ it had been a bad idea to challenge Draco Malfoy to an alcoholic duel, the arse had probably been drinking since he was born. Now he was lucky enough to pay the price. Groaning, Harry lay back down and pulled the blanket up to his chin. He was not getting up that morning. No way, no how.

Sadly, Sirius had other plans. "Good morning, godson! Rise and shine!" He barged into the room and spelled the curtains open, tossing a small vial to Harry as he did so. "We're going to the airport in half an hour."

"What? Sirius…" Harry tried to shove the pillow over his face, but Sirius wouldn't let him. "I am not getting up now. It's-it's child abuse. I'll call the Ministry!"

"Really. I'd love to see what they say about that one. 'Yes, Child Services? I'm calling to report my godfather. He forced me to wake up early after I got drunk. No, he didn't give me permission to do that, I was thick enough to do it on my own.'" Sirius fixed Harry with a stern look, making him flush. "Yeah, it sounds like that. Look, it's eight-thirty. We're going to leave at about nine and stop for breakfast, so that we'll be by the airport by ten-fifteen, early enough to pick up my cousin. Sounds good? Oh, and that vial I gave you? Hangover cure, sent over by one Remus Lupin. Who, incidentally, would like a babysitter tonight. And you're doing it."

Harry groaned again, but drank the potion quickly. It took a few minutes for everything Sirius had said to penetrate his heavy head, but it seemed like he was babysitting for Teddy. Which would be great with him, except for, you know, the whole hangover thing.

Thankfully, his head cleared within fifteen minutes. Harry quickly got himself ready and met Sirius outside by the car exactly ontime. There were times that he was thankful that his godfather was familiar with Muggles and their inventions, and this was one of them. He could go to the airport in his jeans and t-shirt, not dressed in some weird combination of wizarding and Muggle clothing (Sorry, Mr. Weasley!). The ride was quiet, the only sound the music from the radio. Sirius was great in that way. He wasn't a real parent to Harry, just…a guardian. Someone who looked out for him. He didn't have many rules, just that Harry had to keep him informed of where he was. Sirius could easily read Harry, having been so close to James, and knew when to push and when to hold back. For Harry, it was perfect. He still had his freedoms, but he also had the parent he'd always wanted. This cousin, this…interloper (Hermione had taught him that word last night, and he _was _trying to sound older and more mature) was an annoyance that he didn't want or need. It was already bad enough that he was stuck being nice to Malfoy and the other Slytherins (Hermione's insistence), he didn't need that at home, too. Not that he knew if this kid was a Slytherin, but he was another person he had to be polite to.

They got to the airport at exactly ten-fifteen and settled outside to wait. Sirius, as the current Lord Black, was entitled to a special room to wait in, and they were sure as heck taking advantage of that. Harry was, at least. The flight was running late due to the rather horrible weather outside, so Harry prepared himself for a long wait.

He wasn't disappointed. The plane finally landed at noon and it took another half hour until they were able to find the boy. Sirius hadn't had a picture, so they were forced to keep an eye out for a boy matching the description in the letter: red hair and grey-brown eyes. They finally found him standing on the side, checking his cell phone. "Marui Bunta?" Sirius asked. "I'm your cousin, Sirius Black."

"Black-sama." The boy held out his hand and Sirius shook it. "It is nice to meet you."

"It's nice to finally meet you, too. This is my godson, Harry Potter. You may have heard of him." Sirius motioned to Harry, who tentatively stepped forward. "Harry, this is Bunta. Are you okay with being called by your first name?"

"This isn't Japan. I know how it works here." Bunta flashed Sirius a smile and turned to Harry. "Hi. I'm Bunta."

"Um, hi." Harry nervously shook his hand, his mind racing. "How can you speak English?"

"We do learn languages, you know. And my father can do a mean translation spell." Cracking his gum, Bunta grinned. "I guess we're going to be housemates this summer?"

"I guess so."

"Okay then. Let's get moving." Sirius herded the two to his car, taking Bunta's small suitcase. The Floo system didn't hurt luggage, after all, so his stuff would be sent after he arrived. Thank goodness the two seemed to get along, he didn't know what he'd do if they fought all the time. Malfoy was already bad enough.

Once in the house, Sirius directed a tired Bunta to his bedroom, where the boy literally collapsed on the bed and fell asleep. "See? He isn't so bad."

Harry nodded. "He's actually kind of cute. In a little brother way," he hastened to add, seeing Sirius's raised eyebrow. "I don't think it'll be so bad having him here."

"Good. Because he probably won't be going home for the year, and I'd like for you to keep an eye on him." Sirius handed Harry a plate of grilled cheese (Kreacher had his mandatory day off, courtesy of the one and only Hermione Granger) and sat down with his own plate. "Tomorrow I'll take him around London, let him get acquainted with England, and then you'll take him out with your friends one day for Quidditch. Sounds good?"

"Sure. But it also sounds like a little tagalong brother." Harry bit into the warm sandwich, thinking. "Why won't he go home?"

"His house isn't the best place for him right now." Sirius gazed into space, debating how much he should tell his godson. "His parents have been fighting a lot lately, to the point of divorce, which is why his father sent him here, to get him away from everything."

"But wouldn't it be better if he were with his friends? Y'know, for support?"

"This is what his father wanted, this is what I'm doing. So…just keep it in mind, okay? His father said that he keeps up an upbeat front, but hides his feelings." Pouring himself a cup of iced tea, Sirius looked at Harry. "Do not say anything about it to him. He doesn't know that you know, and he's just trying to be normal."

"Who's just trying to be normal?" Remus Lupin came through the Floo holding his son in his arms. "Hey, Harry. I brought you your godson, time for you to do your duty."

"Oh, so Sirius babysat me for Mum and Dad?" Harry fixed his godfather with a look, making Sirius squirm. "You didn't, did you?"

"Well, I did. Twice. Once two weeks after you were born, and again when you were thirteen months. Lily was worried that I'd hurt you or some rot like that, that I was too immature, so she forced Moony here to do it." Sirius liberated baby Teddy from Remus's arms and cuddled him gently. "But as you can see, she was completely and totally wrong about that. I am a baby whisperer."

Remus started laughing hard enough that he was soon crying. "Merlin, Sirius, you were terrible back then. You couldn't figure out how to change a diaper or feed him, that's why Lily refused to allow you to babysit again. Then you let him ride a broom, at thirteen months. Harry, do you really blame your mother?"

"I don't think so. I wouldn't trust you." Harry directed the last comment to Sirius, who did the mature thing and stuck his tongue out.

Amidst the laughter, the three of them failed to notice the redhead watching from the doorway, a wistful look on his face.

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Hope you enjoyed! Remember, press that review button!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Here is chapter four! Sorry that it's later than usual, but I had stuff today. This is mainly from Bunta's point of view, although he's a little more subdued than in the Manga or anime. For anyone who didn't know (that includes myself) apparently Bunta has two unnamed brothers. I've taken the liberty of naming one of them Kenji, any thoughts on a second name?

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed and/or followed/favorited my story! This is so cool! I will hopefully actually put in the names next time, if I have a chance and I remember (which will probably happen after I publish). I'm trying to respond to all of the reviews, but if you're a guest, I can't do that! Thanks for keeping up with this!

As usual, if you like it, review it!

-Ari

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Dinner was, well, awkward, to say the least. Bunta kept his head down, only speaking when Harry or Sirius directed a question at him in specific. Having been told to expect a more hyper boy, Harry was understandably confused.

"So, Bunta, I hear that you play tennis? Every tried Quidditch?" Sirius accepted a bowl of ramen (they'd decided to stick to Sirius's edition of Japanese food for Bunta's first night home) from Kreacher and turned to his cousin. "Harry here is the captain of the Gryffindor team at Hogwarts."

"Cool. Yeah, I play. Haven't tried Quidditch yet, though. My f-father didn't want me to do much magic where people could see." The redhead looked up, meeting Harry's eyes. "I'd like to learn, though. It sounds like fun."

"Oh, it is!" Harry promptly began to regale Bunta with tales of his Quidditch escapades, with Sirius adding in his own two cents every so often.

It was this scene which met Ron and Hermione's eyes as they came through the Floo. "You're teaching him about the wonders of Quidditch? I'm in!" Ron promptly grabbed a chair and sat down by the table. "What's that food, I'm starving!"

"You're always starving, Ronald. If you weren't starving we'd know that there was a problem." Hermione smiled softly at Bunta. "Hi, I'm Hermione Granger. It's nice to finally meet you, as opposed to hearing Sirius talk about you. And this idiot" she elbowed Ron to remind him of his non-existent manners "is Ronald Weasley."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Bunta Marui." Bunta looked at the two of them, his eyes tired.

"Anyway, I can see that I'm not required in this conversation, so I'll be going. Draco and Blaise mentioned that they may stop in to meet, and I quote, 'the new little guy'. Just giving you the heads-up." Hermione waved to them and quickly left through the Floo before Ron could question her.

"How would she know what that ferret is planning to do?" Ron asked the other three. Bunta just shrugged, not really understanding what was happening. Right now, all he wanted was to go back to his room and relax for a little, maybe call Jackal for a few minutes.

"It's her life, Ron, let her do what she wants. She can always talk to my _cousin_," Sirius replied pointedly. Ron took the comment for what it was and shut his mouth. The four of them continued eating, Ron now supplied with his own bowl.

That night, Bunta lay awake in bed for hours. Part of that was due to the time difference, but part was due to here not being Japan. The sounds were different, the weather was different…Everything was different. There wasn't even tennis to make the change easier. Sirius wasn't allowing him to go out just yet (not that he blamed him) and Harry…well, Harry had his own friends. The redhead, Ron, seemed like a tactless idiot, while the other two, Draco and Blaise, appeared to be your run-of-the-mill snobs. They weren't anything like Yukimura-buchou, or Sanada-fuku buchou, or anyone, really. In Japan, he was the sempai, the one who was older. Akaya-kun was his little tagalong; now he was playing that role. Harry had promised to take him to Diagon Alley tomorrow, whatever or wherever that was. Draco Malfoy had decided to invite himself along, and after much deliberation (and something about a ferret, that part Bunta was still not clear on) it seemed as if everyone was coming along. Who everyone was, Bunta didn't know and was scared to find out, but Sirius had told him later that it would be okay. If he wanted, he could back out. But Bunta knew that that wasn't an option. Backing out not only meant defeat, it meant the others knowing that he was a coward and couldn't handle it. It was bad enough at home, with his parents and everything else…But he wasn't going to think about that. He was here, not at home, and he'd enjoy it. If only for Kenji's sake.

The next morning dawned bright and early, too early for Bunta. In Japan, it should have been three o'clock p.m., not six a.m. He rolled over and shoved the pillow over his face, hoping that no one would come in to wake him up.

For once, luck was on his side. Sirius didn't come in until ten to check on him, figuring that the child would be exhausted. When he did, it certainly wasn't with the enthusiasm he'd shown his godson. "Hey, Bunta. You awake, yet?"

"Yeah. Give me a minute." He rolled out of bed to the floor and yawned, stretching. "Is Harry up yet?"

"Of course I am. For a supposed party animal, Sirius wakes me up way too early." Harry shot his godfather a look, which Sirius easily shrugged off. "Give him a few days until the sympathy wears off and he'll be doing it to you, too. Opening the curtains, shutting off the a/c…He's very creative."

Personally, Bunta just assumed that his housemate was being a brat, but that was his opinion. Seiichi had had Genichirou wake them up even earlier, and Genichirou had been much more conniving about it. But then again, Sirius had explained to Bunta the night before that the Wizarding community in England had just finished a war against some guy named Lord Voldemort, and Harry had been the one to kill him. So maybe the guy did deserve a little whining.

Breakfast was quiet, seeing as both Harry and Bunta were half asleep. Sirius motioned to the cereal boxes on the table. "Your father mentioned that your diet is high in sugar, so when I asked Remus, he said that this is about as high in sugar as you can get for breakfast." He grinned at Bunta, and Bunta found himself grinning back. "Sorry it isn't Japanese, but…"

"It's fine. I have to get used to English foods, anyway. I doubt that Hogwarts will have Japanese food." Bunta looked at the unfamiliar box which promised an "out of this world" experience. Well, he highly doubted that, but it had sugar, and by the sound of the plans the older boys had been making the night before, he'd need the sugar to supplement his stamina problems. Thank goodness he'd stocked up on gum before coming. It looked like he'd need it.

After dressing and getting together some essentials (wallet and gum, along with a layer of sunscreen on his arms and face. Redheads burn easily, you know), he came down the stairs to find just Sirius and the brown-haired man from yesterday sitting in the kitchen. "Oh, hey Bunta. This is Remus Lupin, my friend from school. Remus, Bunta Marui."

Remus stood and extended his hand to the boy. "How are you enjoying England so far? Different from Japan?"

"Very different," Bunta replied fervently. He settled on the couch, phone in hand. If he hurried, he'd have enough time to send off a quick email to Jackal. Even if they weren't playing doubles together anymore, they were still friends.

Harry came crashing down the stairs minutes later. "Has anybody seen my-"

"On the table," Sirius called.

"And my-"

"Upstairs, outside the bathroom."

"How about-"

"Still in your room, in the second drawer of your armoire." Sirius grinned at the stunned look on Bunta's face as Remus burst out laughing. "His father was the same way. Remus and I made it a habit of keeping an eye out for his stuff, now it looks like we have to do the same for his son."

"Some things never change from generation to generation." Remus looked up as Harry finally came downstairs, a hand raking through his messy black hair. "Did you find everything?"

"Yup. Got it. Ready to go?"

Bunta nodded and stood up. "How are we…?"

"Apparition. I'll take you by Side-along, and we'll meet everyone at the Leaky Cauldron. At least, that's where Blaise Zabini said he'd send everyone. He's the one who was with Malfoy last night." Harry gripped Bunta's upper arm and turned to Sirius and Remus. "I promise I won't splinch him or anything bad like that. We'll be back before dark."

"Great. Have a good-" The pair disappeared. "-time." Sirius sighed. "I'm beginning to feel old. I'm starting to have to be responsible and worry about what they do."

"Relax. You'll be fine. _They'll_ be fine. Just trust them. Harry survived a war, and Bunta…well, you know what he's dealt with." Remus met his friend's eyes and held them. "Trust them."

Meanwhile, miles away, Bunta was getting his first peek at the Wizarding world.

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Hope you enjoyed! For anyone who hasn't heard of the few Japanese words I put in, buchou is used for captain (it actually means head of a department, but it's used in the anime, so I'm using it here) and Fuku buchou means assistant captain.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hey people! Sorry for not updating sooner, I was out yesterday. To make it up to you, I will update a number of times between today and tomorrow! No, actually, we're just snowed in. Go New York! This chapter brings together the whole group of people I will probably be working with, except maybe Seiichi, Jackal, Genichirou...those guys. There's a bit of Ron-bashing, but that's because I just genuinely am not a fan of him. I found him to be an insensitive idiot.

Enjoy the story! And for anyone in the Boston to Philly belt (I think that's what they said) enjoy the snow/blizzard/epic excuse not to have work and college!

Thank you to my followers, favoriters, and reviewers! You are always appreciated!

As always, if you like it, review it!

\- Ari

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Harry looked over at the redhead standing beside him. Apparition didn't seem to bother him very much, but Harry wasn't assuming anything. "The others should be here in a while. Ron said that they're going to try to bring the girls along." Seeing the slightly green look that had appeared on Bunta's face, he asked, "Are you okay? You're looking a little…"

"I'm fine." Bunta took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Can we sit down somewhere, though?"

"Sure. We can wait in the Leaky, everyone will meet us there." Harry led the boy into the pub and ordered drinks for them. Sadly, the Wizarding world still had not discovered Coke or other such sodas, so Bunta was stuck with butterbeer. "That okay for you?"

"Yeah." Looking down at his phone, Bunta sighed. Harry watched him for a minute with concern. Sure, this kid wasn't his relative, but he looked…sad. Upset. Pretty much the opposite of what Harry had been told he'd be like. It had only been in the airport that Bunta was cheerful. Now he was just melancholy. "Ah, Harry? Is that who we're waiting for?"

Harry looked up to see Draco Malfoy's blond head and Blaise Zabini's black one coming towards them. "That's two of them, yeah. I was hoping that Ron would be the first one here. This is going to be awkward."

Awkward was the understatement of the year. The three men sat in an awkward silence, with Blaise occasionally making some comment about the weather or Quidditch or something equally dumb. Bunta looked down at his butterbeer. Well, it was sugar, after all, so it couldn't be that bad. He took a sip and began sputtering. Apparently yes, it could and was that bad. Disgusting actually. He looked up to see the other three men watching him closely. "You all right, redhead?" Blaise asked with concern.

"I don't think that I've ever met someone who doesn't like butterbeer." Draco leaned over to look at the younger boy with interest. "I didn't think it was possible."

"Oy, Malfoy, trying to turn him Slytherin? He's a Gryffindor for sure." Ron sat down by the table, Ginny close behind. "Don't corrupt him."

"I'm not. I'm not sure you could corrupt him." Wrapping an arm around the younger boy, Blaise gave him a grin. "Do you even know what they're talking about?"

"Not at all." Bunta took a deep breath and resolved to go back to his regular self. All it took was the realization that Jackal would be calling in a couple of hours and he soon had a matching grin on his own face. "But I'm guessing that they're enemies?"

"Oh, you don't even know the half of it." Ron proceeded to explain (with Draco, Blaise and Harry's help. Ginny wasn't getting involved.) the House situation in great detail. It only took a few seconds for Bunta to become completely confused.

Hermione came in and smiled to herself. Thankfully all her boys were getting along with each other. "Hey, boys. Ready to go?"

"I am. Pansy said that she'll meet us later for lunch, so I guess that this is all of us." Blaise looked around quickly. "No, wait, where's Luna?"

"Oh, she's Luna now? Not Looney or anything else like that?" Ginny snarked. Blaise raised his hands in innocence.

"Okay, let's try to behave like mature adults, please. We're not children anymore." Hermione saw Draco's mouth open and corrected herself. "Most of us, at least. Bunta notwithstanding."

The child in question ducked his head and checked his phone again. Nothing from Jackal yet. There was, however, an email from Seiichi. After checking to make sure that no one was paying him any attention (no one was) Bunta read through it quickly. Seiichi had written it quickly after practice, and wrote that Bunta should be sure to practice. Aside from the usual polite questions, he asked if Bunta was all right. Well, that was a loaded statement. He wasn't bad, really. Harry and Sirius had been welcoming to him, the other guys had also been nice, but…it wasn't Japan. The magic was different, they had these ridiculous Houses or whatever, and the food was unfamiliar. Seiichi had also had magic, along with Jackal, Genichirou, and Akaya, so he would understand if Bunta wrote about the magical differences. Japanese magic was just more elegant, and the wands followed that pattern. As he typed back a response, Bunta overheard something that piqued his interest.

"And we have to stop by Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. I think that that's one of the most important parts of Diagon Alley," Ginny was saying. A blonde girl, who'd joined at some point, nodded along with her. "Then maybe lunch?"

"What's Weasley…?" Bunta trailed off, not remembering the full name. But Ginny seemed to understand.

"It's a joke shop that my twin brothers set up together. It'd very successful, actually. You'll enjoy it, if you're anything like what Sirius said you are." She stood up and stretched, making her already short skirt rise higher. "Come on, let's go."

Bunta couldn't help but admit that the joke shop was impressive. He found stuff that he'd Floo to Jackal once they got home to give to the other wizards on the team. It was incredible.

"Welcome to the joke shop," Bunta heard over his shoulder. He jumped and found a redheaded guy a few years older than Harry behind and to the right of him.

"Yes, welcome. To the joke shop, and to England." Another redhead, exactly like the first, appeared at his other side. "I'm Fred-"

"And I'm George." They came around to the front with a flourish. "On behalf of your arrival to our country, please feel free to try our new product-"

"Oh no you two don't." Hermione snatched the colorful package from Fred's hand. "He is not a guinea pig for your products. If you want to try them out, go get willing test subjects. Not the underage child. Go to your brother, I doubt he has enough brains to realize the dangers."

"Ah, lovers' spat, Mione?" Fred wrapped an arm around her while his twin rolled his eyes. "Is Ickle Ronniekins mistreating you?"

"For your information I haven't been going out with your brother anymore since two days after the war. We're just friends." She shoved his hand off her shoulders before going over to Bunta. "Don't trust these two. They're the biggest jokesters ever, and they'll try to trick you into testing their products. If they offer you something, do not, under any circumstances, eat or use it without consulting someone first. It's liable to negatively affect you."

Bunta nodded, pretty sure he'd understood the gist of what she'd said. Even with translation spells and his own knowledge, the fast English that Hermione spoke occasionally went over his head. Well, these two couldn't be worse than Masaharu Niou. Then again, they did remind him of a certain set of redheaded twins in an anime he'd been watching recently…Maybe he should look out for these twins.

The blonde, aristocratic guy, Bunta thought he remembered that his name was Draco, flagged him over. "If you're sending something over to your friends in Japan, check these out. They may go for it."

Leaning over, Bunta caught sight of a wall full of love potions and sniggered. "So is this how you got Hermione, the Gryffindor Princess?"

Draco gave him a surprised, whacked-on-the-back-of-the-head-with-a-board look, before laughing. "I see you listen to what we say. And no, I would never resort to such methods." Looking to ensure that no one was listening, he bent down. "A Slytherin would never use such crass methods. Our love potions would be custom made."

"I heard that, Draco Abraxus Malfoy!" Hermione cuffed him 'round the head with her clutch, and he rubbed the area.

"Can't a guy say anything without worrying about getting his head hit? I didn't say that I had, just that as a Slytherin…" Draco's voice trailed off at the murderous look on Hermione's face. "Okay, okay, never mind. Pretend I didn't say anything."  
"Malfoy…" Ron growled at the blonde while Bunta rolled his eyes. So maybe he didn't know all of the history over here, but it seemed like Draco, Blaise, and this other girl, Pansy (who still had yet to show up) had been archenemies with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry and Hermione had made up with them (heck, Hermione was dating one of them), but Ron was still carrying the childish grudge. That fit with the impression Bunta currently held of him. A selfish, immature brat.

After finishing in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, the group settled down for lunch in a quaint little café along a side street where Pansy Parkinson, Luna Lovegood, and Theodore Nott met up with them. Bunta made sure to get something with plenty of sugar, because the gum chewing was getting on Hermione's nerves.

"I'm really sorry about making you crazy about this," she'd explained, "My parents are dentists, so I really hate it when people chew gum or eat a lot of sweets. I don't know how it helps you in tennis but it really drives me nuts."  
Bunta had decided that it wasn't worth it and had stuck to the sweet iced teas and cake served by the café.

After lunch the boys insisted on going into Quality Quidditch Supplies, which the girls daintily turned down to go into one of the other shops (or, in the case of Hermione, to Flourish and Blotts). Bunta couldn't help but think that it would've been better to have been born a girl. At least he wouldn't be stuck with this stupid sport.

When he chose to say something to Harry, Harry had been stunned. "Y-you don't like Quidditch? But it's incredible! Best sport ever!"

"I'm just not a big fan. I'm not against it, I just…haven't played it." Bunta racked his brain to try to make the older boy understand. "Do you like tennis?"

"Of course not, it's just a game for a bunch of pansies to run around and swing things," Ron said without thinking. Hermione had made him watch a game of this tennis thingy once, and it didn't look as exciting or violent as Quidditch did.

"Thanks." Bunta rolled his eyes and brushed part of his hair from his right eye. "See this? I just got that a couple of weeks ago, in a tennis training camp. That satisfy you?"

Ron looked in shock at the long scratch. "That looks…terrible. You got that from tennis?"

"Yeah. I did. From one of the toughest tennis camps in Japan. Fifty middle-schoolers were invited, and my team was one of those groups. I was in one of the highest categories there." Bunta let out a sigh and tugged the jacket closer around himself. English summers were cooler than those in Tokyo, and he was chilly. "Now will you leave me alone about not liking Quidditch? You just called my sport a sport for pansies, I think that I can have my own opinion." He walked away, towards Draco and Harry, who seemed to be spiritedly fighting over which team was best, leaving Ron gaping after him.

The day ended with Draco and Harry finally coming to an agreement about something: The group would get together again the next day at Malfoy Manor to teach Bunta how to play Quidditch, seeing as the poor sap (or so they said) had been deprived of it for fourteen years.

Bunta collapsed in bed, not having the energy to even change into pajamas. Jackal had called while he'd been out, but he hadn't been able to call. Within a few seconds of his head hitting the pillows he was asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: I am so sorry for not posting this sooner! Life has been crazy lately, so I didn't have enough time to write this. But thanks to everyone who favorited, reviewed, or followed the story!

So now I'm going to start introducing some more Prince of Tennis characters. Stay tuned!

Please read and review! It means a lot and I try to answer all of them!

Enjoy!

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Bunta woke up the next morning sneezing. "You don't sound too hot," Sirius commented as he came downstairs.

"I don't feel too hot, either." He sat down and buried his head in his hands. "It's summer, I shouldn't be sick."

"It's cooler here than in Tokyo, so no wonder you're being affected like this." The older man laughed. "Never thought I'd see the day when I'd be the responsible one. Harry won't be up for awhile, he was up late last night with Ron and Neville."

"Okay. Is it all right if I skip Quidditch today? I don't think I can do it." Standing, Bunta began to take cereal (the super sugary one again) and tea. Sirius added a generous spoonful of honey, making his cousin give him a questioning look.

"Honey will help your throat, and I'm sure your throat's in a lot of pain. You can certainly skip playing Quidditch, but you may as well watch them. Ron won't stop bothering you until you do," Sirius added. Bunta nodded. That was too true. "Morning, Harry."

"Mmm." Harry staggered in and collapsed on a chair, his head in his hands.

"Did we wake you? Try to go back to sleep."

"Mmm."

Bunta looked over at the seventeen year old with interest. "That was a 'late night'?"

"We-ell, they may have decided to drink again. You really shouldn't, you know. Magic can only heal so much." Sirius pushed a plate of toast and a mug of tea to his godson. "I don't want to go all parental on you, that was Lily and James's problem. But you do have to quit this partying."

"I know, I know. I will. Tonight." Seeing Sirius's skeptical look, Harry nodded earnestly, then groaned and pressed a hand to his head. "Promise. I feel horrible."

"Here. I've taken to keeping a stash," Sirius replied, passing Harry a vial of Hangover Cure. "So, Bunta isn't feeling too great, so he'll just watch you lot-"

A sudden crack of thunder made them jump. Sirius ran to close the windows on the first floor while Harry and Bunta went to get the ones upstairs. As soon as they all came back down to the kitchen, Sirius continued, "Never mind. I don't think anyone is playing Quidditch today."

As soon as he'd finished saying that the fire turned green and Draco Malfoy came through. "I regret to say- Potter, are you really not dressed yet? It's nearly noon."  
"Malfoy, it's…just barely eleven o' clock. I can be up late, it's summer." Harry gave Draco a dirty look and downed the potion. "Are you ever up early? You're, like, an aristocrat, aren't you?"

"Yes, and that's why I'm up early. Rich people have to work for their money, too, you know." Draco sat by the table and accepted the mug of coffee from Kreacher. "Thank you, Kreacher."

"Yes, young master." Kreacher bowed and made a hasty exit. He may have been old, but he certainly wasn't stupid.

"So…do any of you have an idea of what you could do instead? As opposed to staying here and possibly destroying my now-put together home when-"

The fire burned green again and Ron came stumbling out, landing with a lot less grace than Draco. "Did you see, mate? There's no way we can go play, even by the ferret."

"The 'ferret' in question is sitting right here. And I still don't appreciate the name," Draco drawled.

"He- Harry, do you see him too? It isn't just me, right?" Ron looked around wildly and Bunta was forced to hold back a laugh. This guy really didn't realize that he sounded like a total idiot when he spoke. He beat Akaya, for heaven's sake, and Akaya usually just shouted whatever was on his mind.

"Yes, I am here. Weird though it may seem." Draco shot Bunta a quick wink, making the younger boy flinch. Filing that piece of information away for later, Draco turned to Sirius. "I figured we could hang around the Manor for the day, there's plenty to do there. Hermione would have the library, we normal people could have the pool…"

"I resent that statement, Malfoy!" Hermione called, coming out of the Floo with Luna and Ginny in tow. "Well, 'Mione, you have to admit…" Sirius gave her a cheeky grin and she pretended to hit him on the head. "Okay, okay, I'll stop."

"It does sound like great fun, though. We may as well, it's not like we could do much anyway. Magic really is useless sometimes." Sitting down by the already crowded table, Ginny looked over at the younger redhead beside her. "You look like crap."

"I feel like it." Bunta put his head down on the table, his eyes closed. Colds were already terrible at the best of times (it's pretty hard to play tennis when you're wiping your nose every second) and being in England while dealing with a cold was even worse. He suddenly felt a cool hand touch his forehead and brush back his hair. "What?"

"You're not running a fever. I don't suggest that you go swimming right now, but you can go along if you'd like. I doubt it'll be fun hanging around here with just Remus and myself for company." Sirius passed him a vial of some potion (the man really did have an endless supply of potions!) and motioned for him to drink. "It's a Pepper-up potion. You should be able to get through the day with it."

"Thank you. Really."

By the time the group finally traipsed over to Malfoy Manor it was nearly time for lunch. "My mother will have prepared food for us in the dining room," Draco said loftily. Ron rolled his eyes and muttered something (most likely an insult) under his breath. "Weasley, if you don't like it, leave. We are civilized here."

As they entered the dining room, Blaise Zabini stood up and bowed. "Why, welcome. I see you were held up."

"Cut the bs, Blaise. I know you've already taken your favorites." Sitting in a seat near his friend, Draco quickly surveyed the table. "Ah, perfect. Potter, your favorite."

Harry grinned and sat down, Bunta close behind. "Treacle tart?"

"Of course. What else would I have prepared for Mr. Potter?" Narcissa asked with a wink. She looked around the table, her gaze finally landing on the unfamiliar boy beside the Boy Who Lived Twice. "And who might this be?"

"Bunta Marui, ma'am." Bunta ducked his head and pressed himself against the back of his chair. The Pepper-Up wasn't working yet and he really wasn't up to this. "From Japan. Tokyo, to be exact."

At that moment, a cheery tune filled the air and Bunta felt his face turn red. "Sorry. That's my phone." As he stood up to answer, he heard Ron say behind him, "Is it like a fellytone? How does it fit in his pocket?"

"_Konichiwa, Seiichi-buchou_," Bunta said into the phone. "I wasn't expecting you to call so late."

"I'm not busy, you know. Nine-thirty at night isn't that late." Seiichi's voice was warm and familiar, and Bunta sighed. "What's the matter? You sound upset."

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"Bunta…"

"Seiichi, I told you. I'm not a child. I'm okay." Bunta sighed again and looked into the dining room, where the others were laughing and eating. "I just have a cold. It's freezing here."

"Yes, England is cooler than Japan. I told you to wear layers," Seiichi reminded him. "You haven't been practicing at all, have you?"

"Of course not, where was I supposed to practice? I'll ask Sirius for a place when I get back. Don't worry, I'll still be good at tennis once I come back to Japan." Laughing, Bunta grinned for the first time since he'd come. "I'll still be my regular self."

"I hope so. After…you know." The two of them fell silent, until Seiichi continued, "So…I guess I'll speak to you. Jackal said that he would like to visit, so maybe we could take a Portkey in a few weeks. Akaya is worse than usual without you."

"Ha…Thanks. I think." Bunta quickly looked at his watch. "Look, I have to go, but I'll try to call you tomorrow."

"Fine. Good night."

"'night." Putting the phone back into his pocket, Bunta took a deep breath and turned to the dining room.

"I believe I am correct in assuming that you are Bunta Marui, doubles player of the Rikkaidai team of Japan?" a voice asked from the shadows.

Bunta jumped and turned around. "Um, yeah, that-that's me. Who-"

"Lord Lucius Malfoy, father of Draco Malfoy. I have been following your team for a number of years now, and this current batch of players appears to be one of the best." Lucius leaned forward, his snake topped cane evident. "I am quite impressed."

"Th-thanks."

The older man stood and walked over to him. "Will you continue playing for the team this year?"

"I-" Bunta bit his lip. "I don't-"

"Father, are you terrorizing the child already? Don't scare him." Draco walked in and grasped Bunta's arm. "Come on, Black said that you're under the weather. Go eat."

Bunta nodded and left the room, leaving awkward conversation behind.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed!

If there are any characters you'd like to see in here, whether from Harry Potter or Prince of Tennis, leave a review or message!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Sorry it took longer to update than it usually does! But this chapter is a bit longer, I think (Computer architecture is reeeaaally boring) Enjoy!

As usual, read and review!

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As soon as the group had finished lunch, Narcissa promptly sent them downstairs to the pool. In Bunta's humble opinion, she didn't want the lot of them in her living room. There was much less to destroy by the pool than here, near the delicate china and figurines.

They trooped down to the pool and separated into the changing rooms. Bunta went straight to the pool and sat down on a chair. He still felt sick, which wasn't helping his mood. The conversation with Seiichi had been less than reassuring, to say the least. He didn't need people to come check up on him, it wasn't like he was a child. Being forced to stay here in England was bad enough.

Bunta watched as the guys trooped out of the changing room and jumped into the pool, save Draco, who came to sit beside him. "Sorry you can't join. Can I get you anything?"

"No. I'm good." Bunta motioned to the small rucksack Harry had lent him. "I brought some stuff to do."

"Smart." Seeing Ron and Blaise starting a splashing contest (fight?), Draco rolled his eyes. "I think I'll hang around you for a little bit. You don't look liable to kill someone by drowning."

"I don't think I will. Pretty sure of that, anyway," Bunta replied quietly. He shivered despite the sweatshirt he was wearing, and Draco raised an eyebrow. "I just have a cold."

"Yes, but this is a heated room. If you're still cold, you must be ill." Draco leaned over and pressed the back of his hand to Bunta's forehead. "You're very warm."

"What, are you a doctor or something?" Popping a piece of gum in his mouth, Bunta turned away.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I learned a lot during the war. Not that I'm planning on becoming a Healer or anything, but I know the basics. And anyone can tell if you have a fever. Which you do."

"I told you, I'm fine!" Bunta stood up and tried to walk away, but Draco grabbed his shoulder. "Stop it!"

"Look, I-" Not seeing the puddle of water, Bunta slipped into the pool, dragging Draco with him. "Bunta! I thought you said that you wouldn't kill me by drowning!"

Bunta was too busy trying not to drown to answer him. Finally, Harry and Blaise grabbed him and hauled him out while Hermione ensured that Draco was alright. "Are you alright?" Harry asked with concern.

"F-f-fine." Wrapping the proffered towel around his shoulders, Bunta coughed. He could see Harry reaching towards him but pulled back. "R-really, I'm f-fine."

"No you aren't. Draco's going to change, why don't you go with him and get some dry things?" Hermione gently wrapped an arm around him and guided him to the blonde. "Come on."

"L-let me s-sit here. I-I'll be f-fine in a s-second." Bunta shook his head, trying to clear it. There were these annoying black spots appearing in his vision and it was bothering him. He had to be able to see where he was going.

"Bunta-" Harry reached for the redhead but missed as the younger boy collapsed on the ground.

The next thing Bunta knew there was a cool hand resting on his forehead. He tried to sit up, but the hand pressed him back onto the pillows. "I-" he tried to say, but the person beside him shushed him.

"Relax. You're right here with us." Sirius gently rubbed his cousin's cheek, making the boy sigh. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Bunta rolled over to face the wall. He'd thought, for just a moment, that his parents had been sitting beside him, or even Kenji. But of course not. No one was here. He was in England, not Japan, after all.

"Obviously something is wrong. Especially since I have a very concerned boy sitting outside in a mud stained tennis uniform," Sirius told him. This was his cousin, a decent family member, and he was darn well not going to let him be upset, especially since he was already sick. "How about I send him in here?"

"Okay." Sitting up, Bunta accepted the mug of steaming tea from Sirius. He watched as Sirius went outside and called the person sitting there to come in.

To his surprise, it was Akaya who walked in, not Jackal. "Akaya-kun?" he asked.

"Senpai!" The younger boy bounced onto his bed and Bunta felt his head spin. "I promise you, I tried to get in, but this idiot," he pointed to Sirius, "told me that you were too sick."

"I don't even know what happened. Sirius?" Bunta switched back to English. "What happened?"

"So we're assuming that you reacted badly to the shock of the water, combined with you already being sick. Draco mentioned that you were running a fever before," Sirius added, "You collapsed and the Malfoys sent you here. Madame Pomfrey came by to take care of you, she's still downstairs, by the way, but it seems like you're out of the woods. The past few days have been touch and go for you."

"What do you mean?" Thankfully, Akaya still hadn't mastered English very well (probably because he spent less time in the classroom and more time imitating Bunta and Masaharu) so he was just watching the two of them with interest (Bunta) and annoyance (Sirius). Bunta couldn't imagine how he'd react if he heard that his beloved senpai was that sick. "How long have I been out?"

"Three days." A plump woman (Madame Pomfrey?) entered and began to fiddle around with the spells on Bunta's bedside. He watched as she read the parchment and nodded. "Your fever was very high, much higher than is safe, so you are on a fever reducer, something for the nausea you will undoubtedly have, and a Dreamless Sleep potion." She gave him a stern look. "You've been having nightmares, haven't you?"

"Not-not as bad as I used to. They're okay, honest." Bunta blushed, afraid of what he may have accidentally said. The past year had been hell, so it could've been anything. "I don't need it."

"You do. And you should really speak to someone about whatever happened during that time." She bustled around and finally came up with a few vials of something. "Here you go. You will certainly be weak, whenever you should decide to get out of bed, so Sirius is under orders to ensure that you eat. If this little one bothers you, just let someone know. He shall be promptly kicked out."

Bunta nodded dazedly. It was so much to take in, but what did stick out was what she'd said about the nightmares. He should talk about them…It wasn't him they should be worried about, but Kenji. He was okay. What he had lost was nowhere near as bad as what Kenji had.

He was interrupted by Akaya. "I don't know what you're talking about, but as soon as Seiichi heard about it from your parents, he insisted that someone had to be here while you recovered. I volunteered, since, well, Jackal couldn't." At Bunta's confused look, Akaya continued, "He's been working really hard on something, I don't know what, but it's some sort of tennis move. Seiichi didn't want him to stop, but they're all coming in three weeks."

"Okay. Sounds good." Bunta pressed his fingers to his temples. Akaya always spoke too fast for anyone to understand, and his being sick made it hard to follow. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton, making it hard to think. "So when can I get out of bed?"

"Not now. No way, no how," Sirius answered. "What do you want to eat?"

"Do I have to?"

"Yes, you do. I'm thinking broth, maybe? Tea?" Resting his hand on Bunta's forehead again, Sirius scrutinized his face closely. "You can have whatever you want, so long as it doesn't make a reappearance."

Bunta nodded, knowing that Sirius wouldn't give up. Two days in his cousin's company had taught him that Sirius was very strict on keeping his charges (including Harry) safe and healthy. Protesting wouldn't help him at all; it was easier to just give in before Sirius got all worked up. For a bachelor, he coddled a tremendous amount. "I guess just broth and tea. I'm not sure I could handle more."

Sirius nodded and exited the room. Moving to Bunta's bed, Akaya looked at his sempai. "Are you really okay?" he asked plaintively.

"Akaya-kun, I'm fine. It's just a little cold, you've had one before. It was just the water and the weather." Bunta tried to comfort the younger boy, to no avail. "Look, you can stay here until I'm better. I'll be okay. You can make sure of that. Add that into the hourly updates you're sending Seiichi and Gen'ichirou."

Akaya had the decency to blush. "They aren't _hourly_." At Bunta's raised eyebrow, he shrugged. "It's about once every few hours. Seiichi's just worried."

"I know. Don't worry so much, okay?" Accepting a mug of tea from Sirius, who'd just returned with a mug and a bowl, Bunta grinned at his kohai before taking a sip of tea.

"You're not as bad as last year, right? After the car accident?" Akaya gazed at Bunta with wide eyes. This was a taboo topic on the Rikkai tennis team. No one was supposed to discuss it with Bunta under any circumstances but the direst. Well, in Akaya's opinion, this was important. His personal role model (not that he'd tell anyone that) was sicker than he'd ever seen him, except by said accident. "I mean…"

"Stop it. You know I…just stop." Bunta turned his attention to his tea in an attempt to get out of the conversation. He was behaving like a child, he knew it, but he couldn't say anything else. Not if he didn't want to burst into tears like a baby.

"Seriously, you two, don't argue. Bunta, go to sleep. You need to rest still. Tell your little guy to get out." Taking back the mug, Sirius beckoned to Akaya. "Come here."

Bunta watched them leave and lay back against the pillows. Within a few minutes, he was asleep.

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Please review! If you reviewed as a guest, I can't answer you, although you are just as appreciated!

I'm thinking of bringing in another team, Hyotei or Seigaku. Any opinions?

And characters! Any more characters you want to see?

Ari


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Heyla! Sorry it took so long to update, RL has been just lovely. Anyone want to do some truth table homework with me? Anyway, I really hope you like this chapter. It's a little short, but there's another chapter about halfway finished and this one just had to be ended at this point. If you like it, you know what to do!(and if you don't, that's review it!)

Incidentally, I just went onto the Prince of Tennis wikia again and decided to reread Bunta Marui's page. Well, apparently you really should scroll all the way to the end of the page because I found out some lovely info about his brothers. Oh well! I'll just have to change that bit.

Either way, enjoy the chapter!

As always, thanks to everyone who reviews! I really appreciate it!

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It took a few days until Bunta was well enough for Sirius to allow him out of bed and outside. Draco came over often, feeling responsible for what had happened, no matter what anyone said. Even Ron was beginning to not hate him quite as much.

Akaya sat beside his sempai by the table, watching him eat. "Akaya-kun, I'm fine. Stop staring, you're making me nervous." Bunta pointed to the younger boy's plate with his fork. "You're nowhere near finished either. Look at your own food."

"I am, I am. But Seiichi told me-"

"Quite frankly, I don't care what Seiichi says. He isn't here, so…" Shooting Akaya a mischievous grin, Bunta took a quick gulp of tea. "We can do what we want."

Harry looked on incredulously. This was a complete turnabout from the shy, diffident boy of just a few days ago. Bunta was smiling, joking, laughing…Not at all melancholy as he'd been before. He could see now what Sirius had been told about the boy. This version of Bunta seemed nearly as bad as the Weasley twins, if not worse. Harry caught Sirius's raised eyebrow and blushed. So maybe he was staring a little. But Bunta was so different!

"So, Bunta, I figured we could use today to go get some of your future school supplies. I don't fancy braving the crowds with the Boy Who Lived, and you really do need your stuff." Sirius took a large gulp from his mug of coffee while Harry glared at him. "Don't look at me like that Harry, you know that it's true. And I had Minerva owl me the lists so that I could do this, she was very understanding. Ah, good old Minnie."

Harry nearly choked on his own tea. "'Minnie'?"

"That's what we Marauders called her back in the day. Drove her crazy. But I'm pretty sure that Dumbledore called her that, too, once upon a time ago." Sighing, Sirius mulled over those old thoughts, back when they used to be young and together. He shook his head. "Anyway, I want to go get the books today. The little guy is welcome to come, too."

"You can come with us. We're going to buy school supplies," Bunta informed Akaya. "No pressure, though, if you'd like to stay here."

"I think I might. All the English is messing with my head." Akaya looked around the table miserably. It was hard not to be able to understand a word anyone was saying. "I think I might use the Portkey and go home. Not that I don't want to be here with you, but…"

"I understand. No problem. You can come back with everyone else in a couple of weeks." Bunta nodded to Akaya and then turned to Sirius. "Akaya's going to go home by Portkey today."

"Well, I suppose it is hard to be in an unfamiliar country plus not being able to speak their language." Sirius looked over at the black haired boy, who stared back at him. "Are you sure you can do it on your own? Portkey travel is hard at the best of times."

After Bunta had translated for him, Akaya answered, "I can do it. It isn't hard. I think I'll go do it now."

"He's going to leave now, so I'm going to go upstairs with him." At Sirius's nod, Bunta and Akaya went upstairs.

"I'm really sorry to leave so quickly. Seiichi is just getting on my nerves about getting back already." Akaya shouldered his bag and met Bunta's gaze. "Be well. I mean it. Jackal is going mad with worry."

"I know he is. Relax. I'll be fine." Bunta pressed something into Akaya's palm as the Portkey began to glow. "Give that to Genichirou. Call me when you do, I want to see that reaction."

"Bunta, what-?" The Portkey jerked Akaya away before he could finish his sentence, leaving the older boy laughing.

Sirius smiled to himself. Finally. His cousin was starting to open up a little bit, if only to the younger boy.

Three hours later Bunta found himself in Diagon Alley, following Sirius around. Personally he felt that he had way too many supplies, there was no way he could carry everything, but Sirius insisted that he needed extras. Well, he wasn't going to argue.

"Hey, Sirius, can we stop in Fortescue's? I need something cold. And somewhere where we can stay in a private section." Harry looked at his godfather with wide eyes, hoping he'd acquiesce.

"Sure, I don't care. Bunta?"

Bunta looked up, startled. "Huh? Yeah. I don't mind."

"Then I guess that that's settled, then. Let's go."

The group sat down in one of the small rooms in the back of the room and ordered. Bunta checked his phone, hoping to see a message from someone, anyone. Sirius wasn't so bad, but Harry just wasn't quite as…warm, maybe. It felt like Sirius did care, at least a little, but Harry…It wasn't that he didn't care, but he just had his own life, his own things to deal with. Bunta could understand that. He did it himself, enough.

He suddenly heard his name being called from somewhere behind him. "Marui-kun? What are you doing here?"

* * *

Any idea who that could be? Stay tuned and find out!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Heya! Sorry for the wait, especially after that cliffhanger, but I was a little busy. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it! There's also a companion one shot that I wrote late last night, which is probably why it's called 'Disasters in (of?) Tennish" (didn't notice that one). Check it out if you have a chance!

As usual, please read and review!

\- Ari

* * *

Bunta whirled around, confused. Someone who knew him? Here? In England?

It took a few minutes for him to recognize the other boy, but it finally hit him. "Atobe-kun? You're in England?"

"I do have to buy my supplies, you know. Since we're here for the summer, my father decided that we may as well do the shopping now." Keigo Atobe sat down beside Bunta, much to the confusion of Sirius and Harry. "You have seen me at cram school?"

"Of course I have. It isn't like there are that many in the area." Bunta looked over at his cousin, who gave him a confused look. "Sirius, this is Atobe-kun. Atobe-kun, my cousin, Sirius."

"Pleasure to meet you," Keigo greeted in perfect English. "Marui and I are in the same school of magic in Japan, as well as being on opposing tennis teams."

"Ah. That would explain the familiarity. This is my godson, Harry Potter." Sirius motioned to Harry, who gave the younger boy a tentative wave and grin.

"The Harry Potter? The one who won the Wizarding War of Britain?" Keigo stared at the other boy in amazement. Really, he looked quite unremarkable in his untidy Muggle clothing and messy hair. It was hard to believe that he'd managed to defeat one of the most powerful wizards of the century, save Albus Dumbledore. But it must have been him. Despite being on opposing teams, Keigo and Bunta were friendly enough that Keigo didn't suspect Bunta of lying. Well, and he thought that he was terrifying enough. So it had to be the Boy Who Lived Twice.

"Yeah, I s'pose so. I guess that there's only one of me." Harry awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "So you don't have a full time magical school in Japan?" He couldn't believe that he hadn't found out about this from Bunta, but it had never really come up in conversation. It sounded like such an odd concept to him.

"Yes, we simply have class in the afternoons and at night, at a special school called cram school. There aren't too many in each area, so most people end up going to the most local one. We both go to schools within a ten to fifteen minute walk from the same school, and therefore ended up in the same one." Waving over the waiter Florean Fortescue had hired for the summer, Keigo ordered an iced coffee along with a slice of mousse. "Marui-kun and I are in the same class, obviously."

"Obviously," Harry repeated blankly.

Bunta finally chose to take pity on the older boy. "Atobe-kun, is anyone else from your team here? In England, I mean."

"No, it is simply myself. Incidentally, I was asked by Yukimura-kun to keep an eye on you, since Kirihara-kun went back to Japan. Though it is merely coincidence that I met you here."

"Got it. So Yukimura-buchou isn't stalking me?" Bunta quipped.

Sirius looked on as the two of them talked together in fast-paced Japanese. It was good that there was someone Bunta's age here for him to talk to. He and Harry just weren't the same. Even if Bunta had been opening up a little bit to Draco, it still wasn't nearly enough. His father was concerned about him, with good reason, if the nightmares when Bunta had been sick were anything to judge by. The boy had woken up screaming, in a cold sweat, but refused to tell anyone what the dreams had been about. All Sirius knew was that it was about someone Yamato. Nothing else. The boy had brushed them off, saying that it was nothing. Well, it certainly wasn't, if he couldn't sleep without waking up. Sirius had the sneaking suspicion that the boy had been casting a Silencing spell on his room since he'd come to live in Grimmauld Place.

The two tennis players finally parted, promising to meet up to practice tennis over the next couple of weeks. Bunta appeared to be in a better mood than he'd been since he'd come to England, if Sirius was any judge of that. But he was beginning to droop, so Sirius left Harry in the capable (he hoped) hands of Draco Malfoy and Floo'ed back to Grimmauld Place with Bunta.

Bunta promptly dropped to the couch with a sigh. "Wiped, aren't you?" Sirius called to him from the other room.

"Kind of, but not too bad." Despite his words, Bunta accepted the Pepper-up Potion from his cousin. "Thank you."

"No problem. You're my cousin, sort of." Sirius sat down beside Bunta and tentatively rested his hand on his leg. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

"N-no, why would there be?" Bunta looked up in alarm, meeting Sirius's gaze. "I'm fine."

"Bunta…"

"Really. I'm okay. I think I'll go upstairs and relax. Keigo wants to practice tomorrow, I need to rest up before that, I haven't practiced in forever." Bunta knew that he was babbling, but he couldn't help it. "I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me."

Sirius grasped Bunta's upper arm and pulled him back down to sit on the couch. "I know that you think that I'll think that you're a coward if you tell me, but I won't. Your parents are getting worried about you already. You've been casting Silencing spells at night, haven't you." Bunta sighed and nodded. "I thought as much. I'll let you keep it up, on one condition."

"What is it?" Bunta knew that that was the best he'd get. Even though he was a bachelor, Sirius kept a close eye on Harry, and now it was transferring over to Bunta, too.

"I'm going to put a monitoring spell on your room to alert me when you wake up. This way you won't wake up Harry or anyone else who decides to stay over, and I'll still be able to keep an eye on you." Sirius fixed the boy with a stern look. "Do we have an agreement?"

"Fine. But I'm not talking about anything." Turning away, Bunta clenched his fists. Great. So now he was under a baby monitor spell. That was just splendid.

Sirius sighed and rested a hand on Bunta's arm. "Look, I know that you don't want this, I don't either. But your father sent you here to get away from everything, and I want to help you. You have to let me."

"What if I don't want to get better? What if I'm happy just the way I am?" Bunta looked down at his lap. "What if…what if I don't want to forget?"

"Forget about what?"

Bunta shook his head. "Nothing. Never mind."

"Bunta…"

"It was a slip. I didn't mean to say anything." He blushed, trying to avoid Sirius's gaze. "Really."

"Well, at least you didn't say honest this time. Then I certainly wouldn't believe you." Sirius guided his cousin back to the couch and sat him down. "I don't know anything about what happened. All I know is that you wake up shouting a name every-"

"Stop. Please, just stop." Bunta pushed Sirius away blindly. "Just let me go."

Now, Sirius was not a dumb man. He knew when something was up, but he also knew when to stop. Lily had been instrumental in teaching himself and James that point. She felt that he'd never get a girl if he didn't learn some sensitivity. Well, maybe she was right. But he had learned a little bit. Enough to know to stop making his cousin crazy.

"Go upstairs and calm down. I'll call you down for supper if you're awake." Helping Bunta up, Sirius guided him upstairs to his bedroom and got him settled. It worried him. His cousin had told him that he suspected that Bunta was keeping his emotions under wraps, but couldn't be sure. Judging by what had just happened, Sirius was inclined to agree with that.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Hello all! I truly apologize for not updating earlier or more often, this semester is a little harder than I expected, plus not quite as much free time as before. Thank you for sticking with this story!

If anyone is a fan of Bleach, I actually just wrote a one shot for that, check it out if you'd like!

Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Supper was a subdued affair that night. Harry was still out, leaving Sirius and Bunta alone. Bunta didn't talk much, trying not to have a repeat of this morning. "Do you have any plans for tomorrow?" Sirius asked, trying to start some sort of conversation.

"Keigo-kun and I were going to practice tomorrow, since we know that we're pretty much on the same level. I don't think that I'm doing anything else." Bunta took a bite of the fish and chips Sirius had ordered, chewing thoughtfully. "I know, I'm not at full strength, but tennis is a good way to get back on my feet. I'll be fine, don't worry."

"I didn't say a word. You're old enough to gauge your own strength." Filling his cup with water, Sirius regarded the redhead in front of him. He knew that the boy was upset, but also knew that pushing him would just result in a repeat of earlier. "Just don't overdo it, okay?"

"Yeah. I'll be careful." Coughing, Bunta grabbed his cup of water and drank desperately. Sirius jumped in alarm. "I'm fine. Relax. I swallowed the wrong way."

Sirius sighed. "I know, I know. But you can't blame me for being worried."

"I guess so." Bunta took another sip of water before standing to put his plate in the sink. "I'm going upstairs to look at some of the books we got from Diagon Alley. I should get started on catching up, it's August already."

"If you want, Remus and I can help you out with that, we both know what we're doing."

Bunta gave his cousin a raised eyebrow. "Draco already offered to help me with most stuff, and Hermione can help with the rest. I don't think I quite need the help of the Marauders."

"Who told you about that one?" Sirius sighed inwardly in relief. Thank G-d Bunta was sort of back to normal. A little bit, at least. "Harry?"

"No, Professor Snape. You guys really didn't like each other, did you." He reached over to take a napkin and wiped his hands. "I don't like bullies."

Sirius watched in surprise as the boy stood up and left without another word.

Bunta sighed and looked in the mirror. He hadn't meant to say that to Sirius, it had just slipped out. But while he'd been by the Malfoys he'd met the professor, who had sneered when he mentioned he was by Sirius. Unused to people reacting that way, Bunta had asked him what the problem was. After hearing the story, he wasn't all that surprised why Snape hated Sirius and Harry's father. Lupin, not as much. Now, it wasn't like Bunta was completely innocent. He was known for having a good time, and playing practical jokes. But nothing to that extent. Not to the point where someone was nearly killed. Even if he had only heard Snape's point of view, the man had nearly died, which, in Bunta's opinion, gave him good reason to hate the two men.

"Hey, pup, can I come in?" Sirius stood by the doorway to Bunta's room, his hand on the doorway.

"I can't stop you, can I?" Bunta glared at his cousin, who sighed.

"Look, I know that you're upset with me. I don't blame you. Harry was incredibly upset, too. But I just want to explain myself. Is that okay?" At Bunta's nod, Sirius sat down on his bed. "James and I were just gits. We were immature brats. But for some reason, we decided that we hated Snape that first year on the train.

"I can't excuse our behavior, I'm just trying to explain. Do you remember when you were younger, and maybe you didn't want to befriend someone who looked different? Or wasn't your 'type'? So that's pretty much what happened. James and I decided that we didn't like Snape, and that was when we started tormenting him. Once he was sorted into Slytherin it just made things worse. We were horrible to him.

"Even once Lily made James promise not to hurt him, we did. Nothing as bad as that time when I tricked him into going to the Whomping Willow, but still pretty bad. So I can't blame him for being angry at us, and hating our guts. But I still want you to keep in mind that we were kids. Bratty kids, but kids all the same."

Bunta fixed Sirius with an angry look. "But what about Harry? He and Draco hated each other, and he never did anything like that."

"Harry grew up by the Dursleys. He was much more mature than his father and I. Even so, he did hurt Draco badly, back in their sixth year. It was by accident, but it still counts." Sirius tried to avoid Bunta's gaze without success. "Look, have you never done anything you regret?"

"Not to that extent. I may only be fourteen, and less mature than Harry, but I can't imagine I was that much less mature than you. When I was eleven I never did anything like that. Now? The only pranks I ever do are generally harmless, if I even follow through. So no, I don't sympathize with you. You were the one who was horrible." Bunta stood up and stormed out of the house. Where, he didn't know. And yeah, it was stupid, but what else could he do?"

Draco found him sitting in a park a few hours later. "What are you doing here?" Bunta growled. "Leave me alone."

"Sorry, no can do. The mutt is getting anxious, he's already contacted your parents, who said you'd be here, probably." Draco stretched himself out on the grass beside him. "You're upset about Uncle Sev, aren't you?"

Bunta nodded silently. "Were you bullied? Or someone in your family?" Draco continued softly.

"Yeah."

"I'm not going to make you talk, but…"

"It might help. I know. I've been told." Bunta pressed his hands against his thighs before looking to the sky. "But I can't. I've tried, plenty of times, but I can't."

"Fine. But answer this, at least: you or a sibling?"

"Me."

Draco stood up and held out his hand to Bunta. "Okay. Come on, you can't sit out here all night. You have to go back to Grimmauld Place."

"I won't. I'm not going back to Sirius. I know he explained why he and James Potter were so horrid to Professor Snape, but I just need some time." The younger boy looked down, avoiding the older one's gaze. "I'm sorry. I know I'm being a pest."

"No, you aren't. I guess I can see where you are coming from." Draco folded his long legs beneath him and eyed the boy beside him. "Look, you can come to the Manor with me and stay for the night. I'll send a Patronus to inform Black as to where you are, and you two can talk in the morning. Sounds good?"

"Yes. Thank you, Draco."

"No problem, short stuff."

Bunta whipped his head towards the blonde. "What did you just call me?"

"Short stuff. Face it, you aren't the tallest one here." Grinning, Draco stood up and held out his hand. "Come on, let's go. I'll do Side-Along Apparition for you."

"Okay." Bunta held onto Draco's arm and the pair disappeared into the night.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Hey people! Sorry I haven't updated that long, I've been swamped with homework and finals and stuff... So busy! This is a pretty short chapter, so I do apologize, but it does clear up some stuff. Enjoy! If you like it, review it!

Thanks to anyone who followed/favorites/reviewed!

* * *

Harry looked up as Sirius collapsed on the couch. "Long day?" he said pleasantly.

"Oh shut up, you smug brat. You know how my day has been. And now my cousin thinks that I'm irresponsible because I lost his son." Sirius gratefully accepted the mug of coffee from godson with a sigh. "Draco found him and brought him home."

"I'm pretty sure he isn't a lost puppy, Sirius. You don't just 'bring him home'." Harry looked back down at the newspaper in his lap. "It's your own fault, you know."

"I know. Will you stop rubbing it in? I didn't do it on purpose." Looking over at his godson, Sirius continued, "What should I do now? You're pretty close with him."

Raising an eyebrow, Harry gave Sirius a skeptical look. "No I'm not. I have nearly nothing to do with him. He's closer to Draco, which is probably why he agreed to go with him. Let him be for the night and talk to him tomorrow. Or talk to Remus. He'll have advice."

"Remus has a baby, not a teenager dealing with a massive trauma." Sirius nursed his cup of coffee with a sigh. "Even Bunta's parents don't know how to deal with him."

"What do you mean, trauma?"

Sirius shrugged. "His family was in a car accident a few months ago. One of his younger brothers was killed immediately, and the other, the twin, was terribly injured. He's still being kept in a coma because the doctors don't think he can handle the pain along with the loss."

"So deal with it. What's the big deal?" Harry asked.

"Bunta has a…gift. He can connect mind to mind. The doctors and his parents are not completely sure, but they think he was in contact with his brother, Yamato, as he died. No one's sure, though. So no one knows how to deal with him, because no one knows just how hurt he was." Setting the mug on the table, Sirius met Harry's gaze. "Judging by Bunta's nightmares, how he's been behaving…I suspect, and I told his father as much, that he was in deep contact with his brother's mind. He'll be going to a Mind-Healer here for a bit and his parents are thinking seriously about sending him to Hogwarts for the year. It isn't something he can get out of anymore."

Harry contemplated that for a couple of minutes. "I don't think he'll like that. It's like…Look, I'm not close to him at all, I told you that. But I think he needs to talk to someone, not just a Mind-Healer. Maybe his parents, too. Draco could reach him, maybe."

"I don't know. I just can't face his father and tell him that his son is still just as bad, if not worse, as when he first sent him." Sirius pressed his fingers to his temples. "You know what, I think I'll just owl Draco. Maybe he'll be able to deal with him."

Draco looked down at the letter in his hand and then at the redhead in the parlor. Bunta had his head down, nose in a book Lucius had given him. Apparently Lucius partially backed Rikkaidai Gakuen, and had a nice amount of Japanese spellbooks in his office. It seemed to be making Bunta happy, so Draco wasn't complaining. But this letter…

"Father? May I speak with you privately for a minute?" he called over.

Lucius stood gracefully and set his newspaper on the arm of the couch. Motioning for his son to follow, he left the room and entered his office. "Might I assume that this has to do with the contents of that letter?"

"Yes. It's…Black sent me a letter. About Bunta. I don't know what to do about it." Draco handed his father the letter and watched as Lucius scanned it quickly. "What is there to do?"

"I cannot imagine. Of course, I did suspect that the abrupt change in his personality was at least in part caused by the accident, but I did not expect anything nearly this bad." Lucius returned the parchment to his son, deep in thought. Aside from the realization that one of his investments was potentially going to go bad, there was also the fact that the boy in the parlor should have long since visited a Mind-Healer. "Why has the mutt never taken him to anyone? Or his parents, for that matter?"

"I don't know. Obviously Black and Potter would like me to talk to him, but...me?" Pacing the room, Draco began to list the reasons he was unsuitable. "I'm a Slytherin, and practically a Death Eater, for all that they know, I'm an only child, I have no experience with kids, I'm nowhere near his age-"

"Draco." Draco turned at his father's firm voice. "You are not unsuitable to talk to him. Attempt it, and if he does not respond, then you can tell Black that he'll have to go find someone professional to talk to him. You are a Malfoy. You do not give up this easily."

"Yes sir," Draco answered. He left the office and went to face the music. Or Bunta, rather.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Hi people! Or at least, anyone still reading this... I apologize for taking so long to post and for the short chapter. The story is winding down, maybe one or two more chapters left. Enjoy!

As usual, read and review!

* * *

Draco nervously hesitated by the door to the guest room Bunta was staying in. While he'd been talking to his father, Narcissa had had a house elf bring Bunta to a guest room to relax. Taking a deep breath, he knocked. "Come in," a voice called softy.

Pushing open the door, Draco found Bunta lying on the bed, tossing a tennis ball in the air. "What's up?" the redhead asked.

"The m…Sirius Black sent me a letter and he wants me to talk to you." The blonde settled himself on a chair and neatly crossed his legs.

"About…?"

"About the accident you were in last year." Draco met the younger boy's eyes. "He, along with your parents, feel that you're suffering more than you should. You need to talk about it."

Bunta's eyes flashed. "And what would you know about that? You don't even know me."

"But you're forgetting that my father backs your team. He knows about the accident and he knows that one of his investments is potentially going bad. Even if you aren't on the middle school team anymore, you know you'll have a good chance at the high school team. My father backs both tennis teams."

"I'm stuck here for the year. I'm not going to be on any team, tennis or any other, so your father doesn't have to worry about his 'investment' going bad." Bunta stood up and stalked to the door. "Just leave me the hell alone."

"Look, that's not what I meant. I meant that…You're hurting. Everyone can see it, and they're all worried." Draco reached for the boy, but he pulled away. "I said it wrong. You need to talk about this to someone if only to get it off your chest. It's killing you."

"I'm fine. What does a Pureblood like you care about a halfblood like me? Let me be. I guarantee it won't affect your life at all." With that, Bunta stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

Draco sighed and stared at the door. This was just bloody fantastic.

Harry looked up as Sirius slammed his fist on the table. "The stupid Malfoy boy!"

"What happened?"

"He scared Bunta off. Thankfully Malfoy Manor is warded enough that he can't get out easily, but he won't talk to anyone. Or so this letter from Lucius says." Sirius threw the paper on the coffee table and Harry took a quick look at it. "Now what? He's been scared off completely now."

"You should've sent him to a Mind-Healer, Sirius. That's what he needs, not Draco. Even if Draco is family, sort of." Harry handed Sirius the letter and sat back on the couch.

"You convince him to come back. He'll listen to you."

"No, he won't. You're his cousin and you betrayed him. You deal with him." Harry went back to the Quidditch section of the Daily Prophet.

"You are useless, you know that?" Sirius sighed and collapsed on the couch. "I give up. I can't take care of him on my own."

"So you're just going to send him home?" Dropping any pretense of reading the newspaper, Harry stood up angrily. "You are such a coward! You won't talk to him on your own, you're too busy wallowing in self- pity. Man up already, Sirius!"

Sirius looked at the boy, no, man, in front of him. "Then what do you expect me to do? He won't talk to me because he thinks I'm a bully. I certainly can't talk to him. If the snake couldn't do it, who else but you?"

"Explain it to him! Or talk to Snape and have him let Bunta know." Harry glared at his godfather. "You are his cousin. You're the only one who can help him right now."

"I – "

"I'm going to the Weasleys. I'll be back later." Harry turned on his heel and stormed out of the room.

Sirius sighed and stood up. Looked like he was stuck.

Death, here I come, he thought nervously.

**A/N:** I know that the bullying is a little exaggerated, but I was recently reading a few fanfictions that brought up how nasty the Marauders were to Snape. I'm going to have to agree with those authors, sorry. Bullying is never acceptable.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Whew! It's been a long time since I've updated! I'm sorry! n Here it is, though! I have the next four chapters briefly outlined, but I have extra time this week (my teacher decided to come back so I don't have to deal with substitutes who can't handle second graders!) so maybe there will be another one! Chapters should be longer now, since I've gotten into the habit of 2,000 word chapters. This one is pretty close...

Enjoy!

If you like it, review it!

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this since the beginning, even though I'm awful at updating!

* * *

Bunta sighed and sat down on one of the stone benches in the gardens of Malfoy Manor. He knew he was being a brat. It wasn't even that he was that upset with Sirius, he just wanted to get away from him for a bit. Suddenly he heard footsteps, making him jump up. "Who's there?" he called.

"It's me." Sirius stood in the doorway, ill at ease. "Look, I know you're upset. Can I talk to you for a couple of minutes?"

"Fine."

The taller man sat down beside him and clasped his hands. "Draco told me you were upset with me about bullying. I asked your father, and he said that he didn't know about any bullying recently."

"It…it wasn't recent. It was in elementary school, before I joined the tennis team." Pulling out a stick of bubble gum, Bunta unwrapped it and stuck it in his mouth. "My parents don't know about it."

"I see." Sirius fell silent, contemplating what to say next. One wrong word and the child would pull away. "Have you ever talked about it?"

"Yes. With Seiichi, once, and Jackal." He ran his fingers through his hair. "I wound up playing tennis more. In a way, it was a blessing. Seiichi caught me practicing one afternoon in seventh grade and insisted that I join the team, at least as a member, if not a regular. He was very persuasive, so…I did it. And it was the best decision I've ever made."

"Why were you so upset with me?"

Bunta looked up. "For bullying?" At Sirius's nod, he continued, "Because I hated when it was done to me. It started out as a series of simple, meaningless pranks and turned into something worse. Even if you say it wasn't meant to go so far…You still hurt someone."

"I know. I've apologized to Severus very often and he accepted my apology after the war. I'm not proud of what I've done." Sirius rested his hand on the bench beside Bunta's and met his amethyst gaze. "There is never an excuse for bullying. And if you end up staying here, I want you to know that you can come to me with anything you're concerned about. If there's bullying going on, if you're worried about something…"

"Thanks."

"No problem."

U_U

Harry looked up as Bunta and Sirius entered the living room. "Hi."

"Hi." Bunta settled on the couch, taking a spellbook Harry had left on the table. Flipping through it, he studiously ignored the silent conversation going on over his head. "What's for dinner?"

"Um…I haven't thought of that yet," Sirius answered guiltily. "Harry?"

"Yup, I put in a lasagna. It'll be ready in half an hour. I'll make a salad in a few minutes."

"You are the best godson a godfather could have. Bunta, you haven't tasted anything until you've tasted Harry's cooking. The only good that came from him living with the Dursleys is that he can cook."

"I'm not that good," Harry shrugged. "Exploding snap, anyone?"

"I have to go tell your father that I've taken care of the problem and ask him what he wants to do about the school year." Sirius nodded at Bunta. "Anything to add?"

"No. I think I'm good."

"Got it. I'm going to head over to Remus for a couple of minutes to discuss business. Don't wait for me for dinner, I might risk Tonks's cooking." He ruffled his nephew's hair before turning to his godson. "No drinking tonight. I mean it. I'm going all responsible on you now."

"Don't worry so much. I'm going to stick around here for awhile." As soon as Sirius left, Harry turned to Bunta. "Exploding Snap?"

"Maybe later." The redhead gestured to the spellbook in his hand. "I need to get caught up on what you learn in Hogwarts. Not that there is much, but…"

"What do you mean?"

Bunta shrugged. "Japan only has cram school at night, but we do learn more than you do. Most of this is taught in the younger 'years', as you have it here. The only subject I'm behind in is Defense Against the Dark Arts, and that's because we don't learn it as Defense."

"You don't have DADA?" Harry asked incredulously.

"No. Japan views Dark wizards not as evil, but as Dark-aligned." He waved his hand in the air. "Seiichi Yukimura, the captain of my tennis team, is a Dark wizard, as is Genichirou Sanada. So is Akaya Kirihara, now that I think of it. Dark doesn't mean evil."

"What are you? Can you tell what I am?"

"I'm Light. You…" Bunta contemplated the older boy. "I'm more about emotions, not auras, but to me it looks like you're Grey."

Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Grey?"

"Yup. You can't be Light, because you're definitely not totally pure. No offense," he added hurriedly, "There's nothing wrong with a different alignment. You're also not Dark because you're too nice. I'd have to say that you're Grey."

"I never thought about it like that. Or at all, actually." Harry looked down at his hands in surprise. Him, not the holy Light wizard that the Wizarding World thought he was? That…that was insane. Incredible, but insane. "And Dark wizards really aren't bad where you're from?"

"Not necessarily. You have that here, too."

That made Harry stare at the younger boy. "What are you talking about?"

"Albus Dumbledore? Gellert Grindelwald?" Bunta shifted to a more comfortable position before continuing, "Grindelwald was definitely a Light wizard. That's what we learn in History of Magic by us. From what my father told me that Sirius told him, and from what you and your friends say, Dumbledore doesn't sound much better. He seems like the one who just ended up on the other side. Had his sister not died, he would've been right up there with Grindelwald, taking over the Wizarding World. And they would've succeeded in taking over the world."

"What kind of history do you learn in Japan?" Harry dropped the deck of cards on the table, the game forgotten. "We don't learn about Grindelwald, we learn about goblin wars and stuff like that."

"Yeah, I know. Remus was surprised that I knew so much modern history when he tested me. Your Hogwarts education has a lot of holes in it."

"Hey!"

Bunta looked at him, a flat look that showed that he wasn't sorry for insulting Harry's sort-of home. "You learn nothing there."

"What are you talking about? We learn plenty!" Harry responded indignantly. "Japanese schools teach so many subjects in an afterschool program? We have Herbology, Potions…"

"Yeah, but you don't have competent teachers." Listing on his fingers, Bunta continued, "Potions: you were taught by a man who had no interest in teaching and hated most of the school. Herbology: most wizards do not look at plants after Hogwarts. That should be an elective. History of Magic: you are taught by a ghost, for heaven's sake, and you learn nothing but ancient history. Astronomy – "

"Okay, okay, I get it." The dark haired teen stood up. "I'm going to check on the lasagna. And then you're going to tell me why Japanese schools are so much better."

U_U

Once Harry came back into the room, Bunta was back with his nose in the spellbook. "You're turning into Hermione. If you aren't careful you'll spend all your time at Hogwarts in the library," he commented.

"No, I won't." Bunta set the book aside after carefully marking his page.

"Why are you reading that, anyways? You keep saying that Hogwarts doesn't teach as much as you've been taught."

"First off, I know Japanese spells, not English ones. Second, I need to learn subjects that my school feels are not worth having in the main curriculum." He ran his fingers through his hair and looked down at his hands. "We have different classes."

"Like?" Harry set a bottle of soda on the table along with two glasses full of ice. Bunta nodded appreciatively and helped himself. "What subjects do you learn?"

"Both Muggle and Pureblood customs. What helped Voldemort rise to power was the fact that the Purebloods were so worried about losing their culture. Muggleborns worry about not being accepted because they're different. Most other countries, not Britain, have found a balance between Muggle and Magical. Here you haven't." Taking a quick sip of soda, he continued, "We also learn Healing, which, you have to admit, is more helpful than Astronomy. Plus there are regular classes, math and English and so on."

"Just hearing about it makes my head hurt."

"It's a different mentality." Bunta contemplated his glass silently.

Harry let him sit until the lasagna was ready. "Hey. Supper. C'mon. Sirius will kill me if you starve on my watch."

"One missed meal won't kill me."

"I know, but…" The Boy Who Lived rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "I really don't want you to miss a meal."

Bunta looked at him and Harry felt those amethyst eyes searching him. "I see. I'm coming."

"Great."

U_U

"Hey, Red," Draco called across the room. He and Harry were sitting with a chess set by the coffee table while the redhead in question and Hermione went over some material Remus had given him. "Get over here."

Bunta unfolded himself and walked over to them. Seeing the normally aristocratic blonde sitting on the floor, in a t-shirt and jeans, was as odd as…as odd as seeing Seiichi in the hospital. Not as morbid, but still odd. "What's up?"

"If you plan on coming to Hogwarts, you're going to need to learn how to play chess. Tennis isn't played at Hogwarts." Draco moved over, allowing the tennis player to sit in front of the board. "Luckily Potter isn't a good player, you'll be able to learn quickly."

"Oi!"

"You really aren't very good, Harry, you know that." Placing the book she'd been holding on the top of the stack in front of her, Hermione leaned over. "Draco's right, though, Bunta. You do need to know something, especially if you don't want to join Quidditch. I can't imagine you sitting idle for very long."

He looked between the three older teens. "There are no sports other than Quidditch available?"

"No. Quidditch is the only magical sport we have so it's the only thing we play," Harry answered.

"This sucks."

Hermione gently patted his shoulder. "You could ask Professor McGonagall if you can go back to Japan if you ever feel the urge to play."

"Or you can ask me. We can do magic on Hogwarts's grounds, I can make a tennis court and we can play," Draco offered. "You can probably even start your own club if you want. I can think of people who would be willing to play."

"What are you talking about?" Harry turned his attention to the blonde across from him. "I thought wizards only played Quidditch?"

Draco snorted. "Of course not. If we only played Quidditch, no one would have brains anymore. No, many Purebloods prefer gentlemanly sports like tennis. Some even say that tennis was created by wizards. It's a sport that demonstrates physical fitness."

"Huh."

"I know about those rumors. But you don't even have a Pureblood culture class. Would I be allowed to start a club?"

Hermione pulled out a giant textbook from her beaded clutch. Thumbing through it, she replied, "Yes, I think so. If I'm not mistaken – Yes! Here it is!" She turned the book towards the boys. "If you have three years experience in the field, you can start your own club. You got into the tennis club in seventh year, right? So you can start a club."

"Good to know." Bunta brushed his hair out of his eyes before turning back to the chess board. "But right now, I probably should learn chess if it's so popular."

"Definitely a good idea."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Hello again! This update is shorter than the last one because I decided that this is a good place to end. Now, to quote my friend on a different series she likes, this has an apocalypse. Yeah, it's a little crazy here, but I HAVE been planning it. Enjoy!

If you like it, review it!

* * *

Sirius slid a sheet of parchment across the table to Remus. "This is what his father sent me last night."

Taking the letter, Remus scanned it quickly before looking up. "Are you going to tell him?"

"I have to, don't I? He barely trusts me as it is. If I lie to him…" He passed his hand over his face. "But this will knock him for a loop, especially since his father doesn't want to bring him back. And he also wants him to stay here for the year for sure."

"Do you want me to prep him?"

"No. I need to figure this out on my own, especially if he's staying here for the school year." Sirius stood up and clasped Remus's hand. "Thanks for being my sounding board."

"Always glad to be of service."

U_U

"Bunta?"

The redhead in question looked up, a lollipop stick sticking out of his mouth. "Mmm?"

"Can we talk?" Sirius sat down on the couch beside his cousin and ran his fingers through his hair. He hadn't had the heart to tell him last night, not when Bunta was in such a good mood learning chess.

"Sure." Setting the book aside, Bunta met his cousin's gray gaze. "What's up?"

"Your father sent me a letter yesterday."

The amethyst eyes widened slightly. "What happened to Koji?"

"He…Bunta, were you connected to Yamato during the accident?" As soon as Sirius saw Bunta's skin pale, he grabbed his arm. "You were?!"

"I…I'm almost always connected to both of – Koji, now." He bit his lip, hard. "What's going on?"

"Your father…he said that they're pulling the plug. Your brother will never be able to go back to who he was before – "

"I don't care! He's still my brother! I don't want him dead. Even if he'll only be in the hospital. So long as he's alive, there's still a chance."

Sirius reached over to wrap an arm around the teen, but stopped when he saw that he wasn't interested. "Is this what he would want? He will never be able to be himself. Even if they can get him awake, even if his mind is somewhat there, he'll never be able to move correctly. Is this really such a bad idea?"

"I…I don't know." Bunta pressed his hands to his face, digging the heels into his eyes to keep from crying. "When are they doing it?"

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?!"

"I know. I'm sorry. Your father doesn't want you to go home for this. He feels – "

Bunta stood up, his cheeks turning red. "He doesn't want me to be there when they murder my brother? I'm going. I don't care if I have to Apparate myself over there, I'm going to at least be there."

"Bunta – "

"Don't try to stop me." He stormed out of the room, up the stairs, and slammed the door.

Sirius sighed and rubbed his eyes. Now what?

U_U

Harry poked his head into the living room, green eyes wide. "Sirius? Why's Bunta upstairs, angry at everyone in the world?"

"His parents made a difficult decision and he disagrees."

"Difficult as in he has to stay here for the year or difficult as in having to do with his brother? I couldn't tell from his shouting." He crashed beside his godfather. "What's going on?"

"His parents decided to pull the plug on the other twin. He's not thrilled with it." Sirius leaned back against the cushions with a sigh. "They don't want him there."

"They're going to kill him?"

Sirius nodded. "That's how Bunta sees it, too. But his brother will never – "

"Are the doctors sure that there's nothing to do?" Sitting up, Harry pulled a cushion into his lap. "If they can't do anything, it might be the best idea."

"You agree with them?"

Harry and Sirius turned around to see a puffy-faced Bunta standing in the doorway. Rubbing his right eye, he stared at them steadily.

"I do agree." Harry stood up and walked towards him slowly, as if to a trauma victim. "If he's really in such a bad place, wouldn't he want to be sent on? I've died. I spoke to my parents on my way to face Voldemort. They both said that it isn't so bad. Wouldn't you rather that he be sent to a place where he'll be pain-free over being here, where he's in constant pain, if he even knows where he is?"

"I guess…I guess so." The redhead wilted, as if the emotional stress of the day had exhausted him before noon. "Can you talk to my father about allowing me back? Just for…just for tomorrow? I won't bother him afterwards."

"I'll try. Harry, why don't you go play tennis with Bunta? I'm sure you can both use the exercise." Sirius pushed the two out of the room, mentally preparing himself for the conversation with his cousin.

U_U

Bunta looked up, a hopeful look in his eyes as Sirius entered his room. "Did he agree?"

"No. He said something about you not recognizing your worth?" Sirius sat down on the bed, one leg beneath him. "Bunta, is something going on at home?"

"No."

"Bunta…"

"There's nothing going on. My family is normal."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You do realize that you're talking to someone who grew up in a not-so-ideal home and is currently the guardian of a teen who grew up in an abusive household, right? Because you're being rather stupid about this."

"There's nothing wrong with my family or my home life. They don't hurt me or anything." He pulled his knees to his chest. "I don't know why you're concerned."

"Because you seem to be miserable and you don't seem surprised." Sirius lay a hand on his cousin's. "What's going on with you? I have my suspicions, but…"

"What do you think is going on, then?"

"You're adopted."

His mouth dropped open, giving Sirius the inappropriate urge to laugh. "How…?"

"Your whole family is dark haired, I'm dark haired, _my_ whole family is dark haired. Plus your mother told me. It took a bit of pulling to get that out of her, but I finally got her to tell me." He met his eyes, trying to mentally keep him calm. Hey, if the kid could pick up on emotions he had to make sure that nothing leaked. Which, now that he thought of it, was probably why Bunta had reacted so badly to bullying. "You are not as 'fine' as you say you are. What's been going on for the past fourteen years?"

"You don't care."

"Why do you say that? You've only been living here for a month and a half. You don't know me that well." Sirius crossed his arms. "You don't know everything, kid. You're only fourteen."

"And you haven't been living my life. You don't know what it's like knowing that you're a disappointment. That it probably would have been better if you hadn't been adopted into this family in the first place. It isn't something you can help with, so leave me alone. I won't go tomorrow and once you send me to Hogwarts I won't bother you." Turning away, he angrily rubbed his eyes. "Don't worry about me."

Sirius grabbed his arm and yanked him back around. "You're right, I don't know what it's like. But you're just a kid. You shouldn't – "

"It doesn't matter if I 'shouldn't'! What matters is the situation. And now, with the accident, I know that they won't want me even more. I should have been the one who died in their eyes, not their biological kids!" Bunta's wide eyes held pain and terror. "Is that what you want to hear? Because now you have it!"

"That's not – "

The redhead stood up and started for the door. "I'll fend for myself. You don't need to worry about me anymore. You, my foster family, - "

"Petrificus Totalus!" Sirius knelt down by the teen. "I will not allow you to leave. You need a family more than ever now. Even the makeshift one that Harry and I have. I'm going to go talk to your parents this afternoon. If they're okay with it, I'm taking on your adoption." He watched his eyes widen before resting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not a monster. If you're miserable, and everything you've said is true, your parents will probably be happy to pass you over to me."

As he spoke, Sirius noticed Bunta appearing more and more worried. "I'm going to take the spell off now. I will say this once and only once. You may not run out of the house in a huff. If you want to go talk to Draco – yes, I know you've been confiding in him – you may, so long as you tell me first. I don't want to worry like I did the last time you ran away. Look up if you agree with me." Once he looked up, Sirius took off the spell. "Any questions?"

"Do you really mean that? I won't be a burden, I promise. I can – "

"You won't be a burden. Go have some lunch, I know you haven't eaten. I'll go speak to your parents. If they agree, I'll pack up your stuff and bring it here." Ruffling his red hair, Sirius grinned. "You'll be able to see Ron _all _the time."

Bunta let out a small grin and stood up, grabbing Sirius's proffered hand. "That sounds like great fun."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Short chappie today. This one gave me a lot of trouble. But I figured better to keep posting, plus this is a good place to stop.

Since this is officially a summer story, how many of you would rather that I continue with a sequel? This has 3-4 more chapters left (I'm not sure how many people are even reading this anymore) but I'd love to continue. Leave a comment or PM me!

Enjoy! Thanks to all who reviewed/favorite-ed/followed!

* * *

Bunta let out a puff of air and toyed with the food on his plate. "You can stop staring at me. I'm going to eat. You don't have to worry."

"I'm not worried. I mean, I am, but not about that." Harry snuck a crisp from Bunta's plate. "Are you sure that you want to move in here? You have a real family at home, not whatever Sirius and I have going on. Not that I don't want you around…"

"I get it. I don't know." The redhead pushed the plate away, a speculative look on his face. "Considering that their biological children will both be dead, I know that my parents wouldn't want me around."

"Yeah, what's up with that? Why'd they adopt if they could have kids?"

"They didn't think they could have kids. Koji and Yamato…they were miracles. It's not like they've never liked me. Nothing like what you dealt with, anyway." He rubbed his nose. "Once the twins were born, when I was seven, I started getting these little comments about how I was in the way, I wasn't doing as well in school as I should…that kind of stuff. When the bullying started at the end of elementary school I was told to stop behaving like a child."

Harry stared at him. "That's nuts."

"Not really. It's quite normal. Plus, if I hadn't had to take care of myself I would never have joined the tennis team. I only joined because I took it up as a hobby to stay out of clubs."

"Your whole school system is messed up."

"Only by your standards," Bunta replied, "And by mine – "

"Hogwarts is a load of rubbish, I know, I know." Harry perked up as the Floo flared up. "Huh. I'm not expecting anyone. Keep your wand ready, you never know what kind of crazy will come out of there."

"Yeah, I know."

As the two stood warily, wands out, the figure in the fire grew clearer and Draco Malfoy stepped out. "Quite impressed, Potter. But you should have incapacitated me while I was still materializing. I would be easier to capture that way."

"I knew it was you once I saw that hair. The only other person who keeps it that neat is your father, but his hair's longer." Harry shook Draco's hand, making Bunta raise an eyebrow. "What's your problem?"

"What are you doing?"

"Shaking his hand, what does it look like?"

"That's weird."

Draco rolled his eyes. "You bow. To us, that's weird."

"Fine." Bunta looked down at the plate Harry had not-so-subtly pushed back in front of him. "I'm not in the mood of this."

"You can't survive on bubble gum. At least, I don't think you can." Harry looked over at the blonde. "Right?"

"No, you cannot." Crossing his ankle over his knee, Draco pushed the plate closer to Bunta. "Eat it. Not eating won't help anything. You won't get news any faster."

"I know that. But I'm not really hungry either. Making me crazy isn't going to help."

"Come here."

"What?"

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Just come here."

"I don't trust you much."

"For Merlin's sake, just get over here. I'm not going to bite." Draco patted the seat beside him. "Potter, you do have that television thing that Hermione showed me?"

"Yeah. What do you need it for?"

"We can watch a movie. It can keep his mind off of what is going on and keep us occupied."

Harry nodded. "I like the idea. Get your food, Bunta, we're going to the basement."

"The basement?"

"That's where Sirius and I set up the home theater. No one's shown it to you?" The dark haired teen led the other two downstairs, where a large taupe couch faced a giant screen. "Here it is. I told Sirius that this was a little excessive, but – "

"Harry? Draco? Are you two downstairs?" Hermione's voice called down. After a couple of seconds the girl entered the room. "Perfect! I brought a movie, we can watch it!"

"Did you two come here with a plan?" Harry's gaze settled on the couple, who blushed. "Really? How did you find out?"

Hermione daintily sat down on Draco's lap. "Sirius came to ask Draco's father for legal advice and back up. We overheard and decided to come distract you two."

"I don't need distracting."

"Of course you don't." She patted Bunta's cheek absently and turned to her boyfriend. "Which movie do you want to see?"

"Nothing with singing. Please, I beg of you, nothing with singing lobsters."

"That was one movie!"

"They kept singing!"

"It was a children's movie!"

"No child would sit through – "

"Okay! Can we please go back to the movie situation?" Harry waved his hands between the two of them while Bunta looked on, laughing. "What did you bring, 'Mione?"

"I brought…Let me see…" She rooted through her bag, searching.

"Never mind. Here. Sherlock." Turning on the screen, Harry popped in a disc. "It's a show. Let's watch it."

"Fine."

U_U

Harry jumped as Sirius Apparated into the living room. "What's got you on edge?"

"I'm not used to people popping in and out of places. We just finished a war, in case you didn't know." He leaned on his elbows as his godfather sat down across from him. "What happened in the end?"

"His parents don't want to let him go just yet. They're going to be childless by tomorrow, they don't want to lose him, too." Sirius sighed. "They do want him to stay here for the year, though. They're going to think about him going back."

"Don't they realize that he's a person, not a thing they can decide to get rid of?"

Sirius shook his head. "I don't think so. They're not used to dealing with things like this. Bunta was adopted when he was two, he doesn't really remember anything before his family. They don't want to let him go, but then again, seeing him…"

"Seeing him brings back memories of their biological children. I get that." Lying back on the couch, Harry ran his fingers through his bangs. "But he's still their kid. They raised him, didn't they?"

"That isn't really their way of thinking about it," Sirius replied. "They're upset about not having their sons and Bunta is only a reminder of that."

"Isn't he their child just as much?!"

"They can't get past the fact that he's adopted. I know, they're adults, but they think that way." He rubbed his eyes tiredly. "That was not a fun meeting. I nearly had to restrain Malfoy."

"Why? Why would he care?"

"How much do you understand about Pureblood children?"

Harry shrugged. "Not very much."

"Have you noticed how most of them are only children? Draco, Zabini, Parkinson?" At Harry's nod, Sirius continued, "It's because most Purebloods are so inbred that it's difficult for them to have children. Even the great Lucy Malfoy isn't an exception. For him to hear that a family wants to let a child go, even if said child is adopted, it goes against everything he believes in."

"That's crazy. I'm not trying to be callous here, but if he's not even their kid…"

"They adopted him and named him their heir. Once you do that, that means that they've adopted him in all but blood. At least, I'm fairly sure they haven't blood adopted him." He stood up and headed to the exit. "I'm going to go talk to Bunta. Wish me luck."

"Good luck."

* * *

Sequel? Just leave a comment! Or a review!


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:** This is it! The last chapter of "Summer of Disasters and Discoveries"! I don't think this is too great, overall. Not the chapter, but the story in general. BUT this was my first fanfiction and I feel like I've gained a lot from writing this. In the future I may go back and edit. Is anyone interested in that? Or in a sequel?

Thank you so much to everyone who read, reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! You're all awesome!

To quote DJ MacHale's Pendragon books - "Hobey ho, let's go!"

* * *

Sirius stood by Bunta's open door and knocked on the door frame. "You awake?"

The redhead set his laptop aside and sat up straighter. "Yeah. What's going on?"

"I just got back from a meeting with your parents and Lucius. They're still adamant that you not come home for the...death." He sat down on the bed, one hand resting on Bunta's knee, as much to keep him still as to calm him. "But they did agree that you'll be under my care for at least this year. Once they get over your brothers' deaths, they'll figure out what to do."

"So...I'm here for the next ten months?" Bunta asked. There was something in his tone of voice, something that made Sirius hesitate to answer. "Tell me. Am I?"

"Yes. Yes, you are. I'll have - " The older man let out a grunt of surprise as the teen wrapped his arms around his waist and squeezed. "I guess you're happy about that?"

"Harry's happy with you, why would I be upset? Plus it's getting me out of my house." He pulled away and met his cousin's gray eyes. "Thank you. No adult has ever done anything like this for me before."

"Adults are supposed to take care of you. This shouldn't come as such a surprise." Sirius carefully peeled Bunta off his waist, continuing, "Since you're officially staying, it looks like I'm going to have to go tell Minnie that you're to be counted in the fourth year roster. What house do you think you'll be in?"

"I don't know. I guess it could be anything. Probably not Hufflepuff, though." Scooting back so that he could see Sirius better, Bunta slid a hand through his hair. "Does that mean we're going to Diagon Alley soon?"

"I suppose so. You need all your school supplies and clothes," Sirius replied. "Now get some sleep. But – one question."

"Hm?"

"Would you happen to know if your parents blood adopted you?"

Bunta's brow furrowed. "I don't think so. I'd remember if they did, since I know you can only do the ritual when the person can understand what's going on. They've never done that with me that I can remember."

"Good. That will make the process easier if your parents decide to make me your guardian." The dog Animagus stood up and started for the door. "Sleep well."

"Good night."

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Two months later...

Bunta stood in front of the train, amethyst eyes widened in wonder. "I can't believe this. I'm really..."

"Yeah. It's exciting." Harry wrapped an arm around the younger teen's shoulders. "You'll love Hogwarts. And remember, no matter what house you're in, I'll always be around if you need any help."

"I know," Bunta replied, rolling his eyes.

"Don't forget to write to me every day." Sirius gave him a quick hug and shoved him towards the train. "Now go. The train's about to leave and I don't want you to miss your first Hogwarts Express journey."

"Of course I won't." He took a few steps towards the train, then turned back. "And Sirius?"

"Hm?"

"Thanks. For everything." The redhead gave him a smile and raced onto the train, just barely making it behind Harry.

Sirius stood on Platform 9 ¾ long after the train was out of sight. The past couple of months had been hard on Bunta, what with the accelerated tutoring and his family situation. But Sirius had to admit, the teen had grown wonderfully under the pressure. He was more confident, more like the façade he'd shown them at the beginning of the summer.

Now Sirius just had to hope that the redhead didn't have the same luck as Harry.


	17. Author's Note - Rewrite

Hey all! This isn't a new chapter, just a note to tell you that I've posted the first chapter of the rewrite of this story - now called "English Summer". Feel free to check it out if you'd like! I hope it meets your expectations!


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